The truth is always more ridiculous than a bridge author can imagine. Every day contracts are played that are hilarious, marvellous or both.
Most of them are not recorded. That is a great pity, since this way many fantastic deals are lost.
Earlier, in parts 1 and 2 of this series, I wrote that chess players make notes of their games and that bridge players should do likewise (or, much easier, save the files on their pc's: most bridge clubs nowadays publish all deals played on the internet). And they should submit their best deals to Bridgevaria.com, of course...

Take this deal from personal experience, from a club night: I could never ever have thought it up. My (non-regular) partner was a good player but we had not had the time to discuss a bidding system.
As North I was dealt:

¹ At least five card suit

What in heaven's name was I to bid?

I judged 3NT not to be an option. Partner has at least nine cards in spades - diamonds and will often be short in hearts (and clubs) therefore. And even if he has a heart guard: the wrong hand (mine) would end up being declarer.
Three hands South may have (randomly selected):

On a heart lead (which is to be expected) 3NT is at once down opposite South 1, opposite South 2 it doesn't stand a chance and opposite South 3 it is a bad contract. Still: South 2 and 3 do have a heart guard...
Opposite South 1 though, 6♦ is a good contract (and 4♠ too, of course). Opposite South 2 both 4♠ and 5♣ are fine contracts (and 5♦ too). And opposite South 3 minor suit games depends on the diamond finesse at worst (and minor slams likewise if declarer escapes the heart lead)...
For a moment I considered bidding 5♣, since most often this would at least be a reasonable contract. But I rejected it the idea, since I wasn't sure partner would take this as a natural bid (perhaps he would even interpret it as Exclusion Blackwood: 'Diamonds are trumps, show your number of aces, but do not include the ♣A, since I have a void in that suit').

And so I gave preference for partner's first suit, I bid 3♠. Since in bidding 1NT I had already denied three card spade support (his 1♠ opening showed five), he was likely to expect me to have a doubleton in spades.

After my partner's pass West – whom I knew as not a very talented player – asked my partner about my hand.
He told her: 'His 3♠ bid showed interest in 6♠, since without it he would have jumped to 4♠ (Principle of Fast Arrival). Obviously he hasn't got a red suit control.'
The part about the slam interest wasn't correct; after all I hadn't shown real spade support, so this is not a case for Fast/Slow Arrival.
West didn't think any further and doubled.

I instantly believed her – obviously she had a stack in spades – and seized the opportunity: after having suggested my singleton as the trump suit twice, I was finally able to bid my six card suit: I bid 5♣. This time partner couldn't misinterpret that bid! West doubled again...

...and partner struggled a bit at having to pass twice more. He was a brave man and assumed I neither was, nor had become, insane. West led the ♠10.

S/EW		♠	K
		♥	6 4 3
		♦	10 9 5
		♣	Q J 10 9 6 2
♠	10 9 2			♠	J 7 4 3
♥	K J 9 7			♥	10 5 2
♦	K 6 3			♦	7 4 2
♣	A K 7			♣	8 4 3
		♠	A Q 8 6 5
		♥	A Q 2
		♦	A Q J 8
		♣	5

Because of his 4♣ control showing bid my partner, South, was to be declarer. He handled the contract skilfully. He won with the ♠K and played the ♣Q. West won and played another spade (nothing is better at this stage). Declarer discarded a diamond in dummy, won with the ♠Q and cashed the ♠A as well, pitching another diamond in dummy. He continued with the ♦A and the ♦Q, West covering with the ♦K (ducking wouldn't have helped). Declarer ruffed in dummy and played the ♣J. West won but declarer could not be prevented from entering dummy by ruffing a spade, draw the remainder of the trumps and cross to the ♥A, after which he could pitch North's two heart losers on the ♦J8 (the fifth spade was a master as well): +550.

Closer inspection reveals:
- Even on a heart lead South would have made his contract: the ♥Q, the ♠K, club to West, heart to the ♥A, the ♠AQ (North pitching a heart and a diamond), spade ruff, club to West; declarer now can always enter dummy by way of a heart ruff, next he draws the last trumps, crosses to the ♦A and pitches North's last diamond on the fifth spade.
- 5♣ can only be made if South is declarer: if North is declarer, a heart lead – which is to be expected – is killing.
- 3NT and 4♠ cannot be made against good defence.

Thanks to West therefore, only her double allowed South to become declarer in 5♣!
But why did west double 4♠? From South's 4♣ bid it was clear she would make one club trick at most...